Loyola University Maryland returns to Reitz Arena on Sunday, January 27, for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match-up against Iona College.

Tip-off is scheduled for 12 noon, and the game is the first of a men’s-women’s doubleheader. The Loyola women will host the Gaels at 2:30 p.m.

Follow The Action

The game, along with all of the Greyhounds’ non-televised home games, will be broadcast live and free of charge on ‘Hounds Unleashed, the broadband arm of LoyolaGreyhounds.com. Video is available on computers and most mobile devices platforms.

Fans can also listen to the action on Baltimore’s CBS Sports Radio 1300-AM where Gary Lambrecht will call the play-by-play, and Jim Chivers will handle analysis duties. The audio can also be heard on LoyolaGreyhounds.com.

Series History

Loyola and Iona will meet for the 55th time in series history when the teams take the court on Sunday. The Gaels hold a 41-13 advantage in the series after the teams split the season series a year ago, each winning on its own home floor.

Iona took the first meeting last year, 74-63, in New Rochelle, N.Y. The Greyhounds led by as many as seven in the early going, but Iona used a 9-0 run midway through the first half to take the lead. Robert Olson had 21, at the time his career-high, for Loyola, but four Gaels scored in double figures.

Loyola got the better of the match-up the second time around, that time in a nationally televised game from Reitz Arena. The Greyhounds jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead and were up 25 in the second half before holding off a late Iona run for an 87-81 victory.

Erik Etherly and Dylon Cormier both scored 22 for the Greyhounds, and Etherly had a double-double with 10 rebounds, while Sean Armand tallied a game-high 25 for the Gaels.

Last Time Out

Loyola turned in one of its best defensive performances of the season on Friday night, holding Manhattan to just 14 field goals and a 31.1-percent mark from the field while blocking seven shots and grabbing six steals during a 51-41 win in Riverdale, N.Y.

Erik Etherly was the only Loyola player in double figures with 12 points, while Anthony Winbush scored nine and had a team-best eight rebounds. Robert Olson and R.J. Williams both added eight points and had a combined nine rebounds.

Loyola led by as many as 10 in the first half before Manhattan rallied to tie the game at 23-23 on its final possession of the first half. Williams gave the Greyhounds a two-point advantage going into the locker room with a pair of free throws, but the Jaspers took their first lead of the game with a three just 58 seconds in to the second period.

It was the only lead Manhattan would have, as Olson responded with a three of his own 30 ticks of the clock later, and Loyola was in front for good.

Record-Tying Defense

The 41 points Loyola yielded to Manhattan tie the Greyhounds’ Division I record for fewest points allowed in a game. Loyola, which joined Division I in 1981-1982, allowed 41 points on two other occasions, a 43-41 win over Marist College on February 23, 1984, and a 58-41 victory at Dartmouth on November 24, 2009.

Defensive Dominance

Loyola held Manhattan to a season-low 41 points on Friday night, while the Jaspers made just 14 field goals, the fewest Loyola has allowed this season.

The 14 field goals by Manhattan were the fewest yielded by a Jimmy Patsos-coached Loyola team.

Opponents Under 50

Friday night was the third time this season Loyola has held an opponent to fewer than 50 points. The Greyhounds did so in the November 9 season-opener against Binghamton (45) and on November 17 against Norfolk State (49).

Loyola twice held opponents to sub-50 performances last season: February 3, 2012, against Rider (46) and March 5 versus Fairfield (44) in the MAAC Championship Game.

Over the nine years Jimmy Patsos has been head coach at Loyola, the Greyhounds have held opponents under 50 points nine times, all Greyhound wins. The nine games have all come in the last four seasons.

Winbush Shows Versatility

Anthony Winbush played 34 minutes on Friday night and finished with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds. He was tabbed the ESPNU Player of the Game for his efforts that also included an assist and a steal.

This season, Winbush has led Loyola in rebounds nine times and assists on seven occasions.

In the 18 games he’s played, Winbush is averaging 6.7 points and 6.7 rebounds. He is tops on the team in total rebounds (121). He is third in total assists (40) and fourth in steals (18).

Williams Continues To Spark Greyhounds

Loyola has won all three of its games since the return of sophomore guard R.J. Williams. In those three games, Williams is 6-of-13 from the field and aveaging 7.0 points per game.

Williams has also averaged 3.0 steals, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

On Friday night, Williams had steals on back-to-back Manhattan possessions that led to Loyola baskets, the first a Winbush layup and the second a fast-break Williams layup.

Williams has led the Greyhounds in minutes played twice in the three games, recording a career-high 39 minutes at Fairfield on January 21 and 38 on Friday at Manhattan.

Cormier, Etherly Score 1,000th Points

On Monday night at Fairfield, Erik Etherly and Dylon Cormier became the 33rd and 34th players in Loyola men’s basketball history to reach 1,000 career points as Greyhounds, and they did so in the same game, a feat never before accomplished at Loyola.

Etherly scored his 1,000th on a layup just 15 seconds into the second half at Fairfield, and Cormier followed suit on a 3-pointer from the left corner 8:07 later.

1,000 Points In the Same Game

Prior to Monday night, through unofficial research, the last time a school had two players reach 1,000 points in the same game was nearly five years ago when Fernandez Lockett and Todd Babington of Austin Peay hit the plateau on March 7, 2008

However, it took just 24 hours for it to happen again as North Carolina State’s Richard Howell and Lorenzo Brown got to 1,000 in the Wolfpack’s 86-84 loss at Wake Forest on Tuesday night.

And Olson Makes It Three

Erik Etherly and Dylon Cormier were not the first Loyola players to score 1,000 in a career this season. Robert Olson reached the mark on January 6 against Saint Peter’s.

It is the first time in Loyola’s 103 seasons of men’s basketball that the program has had three players with 1,000 career points at the same time.

Three 1,000-Point Scorers In MAAC History

Since the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference was founded in 1980, this is just the sixth instance of a team touting three players with 1,000-plus points at the same time.

The Greyhounds have posted their best back-to-back shooting performances of the season in games against Marist (January 17) and at Fairfield (January 21), making 60.4-percent of shots against Marist and an even 50-percent at Fairfield. It is the first time this year the team has shot 50-percent or better in back-to-back games.

Prior to the Marist and Fairfield games, Loyola had its lowest field-goal output of the year in consecutive games, making just 19 against both Fairfield (at home) and at Rider.

Combined, the Greyhounds have shot 55.8-percent from the field against Marist and Fairfield, making 48-of-86 shots. Loyola’s 19 field goals made came in just 38 shots, their fewest of the season, but the Greyhounds attempted 31 free throws, making 24.

Win With Four Assists

Loyola’s win on Monday night at Fairfield came with the Greyhounds assisting on just four of their 19 made baskets. It was also just one game removed from Loyola setting a season-best with 19 assists against Marist.

It is the first time since January 25, 2009, (an overtime victory against Marist) that the Greyhounds won a game with four or fewer assists. Additionally, it is just the third time this season that a MAAC team has won a game with four or fewer assists (Niagara has done it twice).

Over the last five seasons, Loyola is 16-28 when finishing with nine or less assists, and the Greyhounds are 3-6 when that happens this season.

Assists Versus Marist

The Greyhounds’ good shooting performance against Marist could be credited in large part to a season-best 19 assists. With 29 field goals, Loyola had assists on 65.5-percent of its made shots.

Dylon Cormier tied his career-high with six assists, marking the second time in five games the junior guard has hit that total (also January 4 against Rider).

R.J. Williams and Robert Olson also had four assists, and Erik Etherly passed out three.

Cormier Tops 20

Dylon Cormier scored 21 points on Monday night at Fairfield, the fifth time this season he has scored 20 or more. In 13 career games that he has finished with 20 or more (seven times in 2011-2012 and once in 2010-2011), the Greyhounds are 12-1 with the only loss coming a few weeks ago at Memphis.

Brooks Also With Career-High

Julius Brooks tied his career-high with 12 points against Marist, matching the total he scored on December 15 in a win over Mount St. Mary’s.

Brooks also made a career-best six field goals on just eight attempts. Three of his baskets came on dunks. He also led Loyola with five rebounds.

Scoring In The 70s

Loyola scored 72 points against Marist, marking the fifth time this season and sixth time the team has scored 70 or more points. The Greyhounds are undefeated in those six games.

Dating to the start of the 2011-2012 season, Loyola is 16-1 when scoring 70 or more points, the lone loss coming in an 83-79 defeat to Rider on February 24, 2012.

Holding Opponents Under 60

The Greyhounds limited Manhattan to 41 points, the 11th time this season they have held an opponent to 59 or fewer on the scoreboard. Loyola has won all 11 of those games.

Including the 2011-2012 season, Loyola has held opponents to 59 or fewer 22 times, all victories.

Loyola leads the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season in scoring defense, allowing an average of 59.9 points per game. Last season, the Greyhounds allowed an average of 64.2 points per game.

Olson Sets Career-Highs

Robert Olson led all scorers at Rider, setting a career-high in scoring for the second time in a month. He finished with 25, eclipsing his previous best of 22 against Mount St. Mary’s on December 15, 2012.

Olson also set career-highs at Rider in field goals made (10), field goals attempted (22) and 3-pointers attempted (13).

Olson, who became the 32nd player in Loyola history to score his 1,000th point when he reached the mark in the second half against Saint Peter’s on Sunday, January 6.

Brooks’ Board Work

Julius Brooks led Loyola and tied for game-high honors with eight rebounds at Rider, matching his season-high for 2012-2013 (also vs. Saint Peter’s, December 8). He then pulled down five to lead the team against Marist.

It was the ninth time this season that Brooks has logged four or more rebounds, and the Greyhounds are now 8-1 in those contests.

Cormier Getting To The Line

Through 20 games played this season, Dylon Cormier has shot 154 free throws, an average of 7.7 per game.

Cormier has also made 74.0-percent of his free throws this season (114 total), good for 32.3-percent of his 352 points this year.

He has already surpassed his made free throw total from a year ago when he made 108 in 160.

In his two-plus seasons at Loyola, Cormier has made 275-of-393 (70-percent) from the line, totals that are both 16th in school history.

Guards To The Boards

Robert Olson and Dylon Cormier, Loyola’s starting guards, combined for 15 rebounds at home against Fairfield. Olson grabbed a career-high eight – he had recorded seven on seven occasions – and Cormier was two off his season and career-high with seven.

This season, Cormier is averaging 4.7 rebounds per game, good for 16th in the MAAC, while Olson is just behind with 4.5 per game.

Olson has pulled down five or more boards 11 times this year, and Cormier has reached or exceeded that total nine times.

Congratulations Graduate

Erik Etherly became the most recent Loyola men’s basketball player to graduate, completing his undergraduate requirements in December for a bachelor of arts in communications with an emphasis in marketing and public relations. He joins Anthony Winbush – who graduated in May 2012 – as a graduate student on the Loyola roster this season. He will start his masters in education leadership this month.

Fourth To 100 Blocks

Erik Etherly matched his career-high with five blocked shots against Saint Peter’s, and in the process he became the fourth player in program history to swat 100 shots.

Loyola is now 9-0 when it shoots 45-percent or better in a game, and the Greyhounds are now 10-0 when scoring 65 or more points this season. The Greyhounds recently held both Saint Peter’s, Fairfield and Marist to 58 points, marking the marking the 11th time – all wins – that they have held an opponent short of 60.

26th To 400

Anthony Winbush collected a game-high nine rebounds against Mount St. Mary’s, and his final made him the 26th player in Loyola men’s basketball history to grab 400 in his career.

The graduate student, who received a medical redshirt after suffering a season-ending injury after eight games in 2010-2011, also has scored 455 points in his career.

This season, he leads the team with 7.0 rebounds per game, and he is 20th all-time at Loyola with 439 career rebounds.

Telling Factors

Three stats stand out in the Greyhounds six losses this season. Loyola is now 2-6 when its opponents register a better shooting percentage, and 2-6 when its foes shoot more free throws in a game. Also, Loyola has averaged just 7.0 assists in the five losses.

In the games they have lost, the Greyhounds have shot 36.2-percent from the field, while their opponents hit at a 46.4-percent clip.

Opponents are shooting eight more free throws (26.3-18.3) per game in the six losses, as well.

Doubling Up

Anthony Winbush notched the first double-double of his career on November 28 at Coppin State, scoring 12 points and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds.

His 12 rebounds represented the 12th time in his tenure at Loyola that he has posted 10 or more rebounds, and it was the fourth time he has scored 10 or more points.

He also set a career-high in rebounds, eclipsing the 11 he posted in his seventh career game on November 29, 2008, at Vermont. Winbush also set a career-high in minutes played (37) and matched his previous best in free throws made (five) and attempted (six).

Late Game Heroics

Loyola’s games against Albany and Rhode Island, both wins, came down to the last four seconds of regulation (and then some).

On November 18, Albany tied the game with 3.1 ticks on the clock, Loyola Head Coach Jimmy Patsos set up an inbound play in a timeout. Graduate student Anthony Winbush threw a baseball pass 80 feet to Dylon Cormier who was inside the opposite foul line. Cormier caught the pass, laid it in with his right hand and was fouled in the process by Albany’s D.J. Evans with 1.5 seconds left.

Cormier made the free throw to provide the final margin, and Albany’s inbound pass went off the hands of Evans and out-of-bounds to secure the win.

Robert Olson then sank a 3-pointer with 3.7 on the clock at Rhode Island to force overtime where the Greyhounds would win by four.

MAAC Preseason Poll & Player of the Year

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference unveiled its preseason coaches’ poll and the league’s Preseason Player of the Year on Friday night in a live Preseason Awards Show on ESPN3. Loyola was named the team to beat in 2012-2013, and Erik Etherly was tabbed the Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches. (Complete poll and All-MAAC teams at left).

This is the first time Loyola has been selected No. 1 in the MAAC preseason poll in 24 years in the league, nor had a Greyhound player been named Preseason Player of the Year prior to Etherly.

Three Loyola players were named to the various Preseason All-MAAC teams as voted on by the coaches of the league.

Erik Etherly earned an All-MAAC First Team nod, while Dylon Cormier and Robert Olson were named to the Second Team.

Classy Senior

Senior guard Robert Olson was named one of 30 candidates for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award last week. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Olson was the Greyhounds’ third-leading scorer last season with 11.1 points per game and enters this season Loyola ranked fourth at Loyola in 3-point percentage (138-of-336, .4107) sixth in career 3-pointers made (138) and eighth in 3-pointers attempted (336). Last season, Olson was one of four Loyola players to earn All-MAAC honors, picking up Third Team mention and later All-Tournament honors.

High Marks

The Loyola men’s basketball team scored the highest amongst squads in the State of Maryland in the most recent NCAA Graduation Success Rate report. The Greyhounds checked in with a 91-percent GSR, tops among the state’s nine Division I schools, for players who entered the school between 2002-2005.

Turnaround…Check

Loyola completed the turnaround from finishing the 2003-2004 season with the lowest RPI in NCAA Division I basketball. The Greyhounds finished that season with a 1-27 record the season before Jimmy Patsos took over as head coach.

Since then, Loyola has gone 131-128 and culminated the turnaround by winning a school Division I record 24 games in 2011-2012.

Patsos is one of only three coaches at the Division I level in the last 20 years to take over a program that had won zero or one game the year prior to then win 100 games at the school. He joins Steve Cleveland (BYU) and Pat Douglass (UC-Irvine) as the others.

Patsos Named Coach & Man Of The Year

Jimmy Patsos became the first Loyola coach to earn The Rock/Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors by a vote of his peers in the league.

Patsos guided the Greyhounds to a school Division I high 24 wins and a program MAAC record 13 victories. He earned his 100th career coaching victory in November 2012 and led the Greyhounds to the No. 2 seed in the MAAC Championships.

Later in March, Patsos was named the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award for his work on and off the court, an honor presented by CollegeInsider.com.

Century Mark

Head Coach Jimmy Patsos became the third coach in Loyola history to win 100 games when the Greyhounds defeated UMBC, 73-63, on the road last season. Patsos, who is now in his ninth season, took over a team that finished 1-27 during the 2002-2003 season. He won his 100th game in his 215th career game.

Last season, Patsos moved into third-place all time at Loyola in victories, trailing only Lefty Reitz (349 wins, 1937-44, 1945-61) and Nap Doherty (165, 1961-74).

Loyola All-Time Coaching Wins List

1.

349

Lefty Reitz

1937-1944, 1945-1961

2.

165

Nap Doherty

1961-1974

3.

137

Jimmy Patsos

2004-present

4.

85

Mark Amatucci

1982-1989

5.

72

Gary Dicovitsky

1976-1981

Baltimore Bred And More From Nearby

Since taking over as head coach in 2004, Jimmy Patsos has put an emphasis on recruiting locally, and it has never shown as much as on this year’s roster. Four players – junior guard Dylon Cormier (Cardinal Gibbons), junior forward Jordan Latham (City) and sophomore guard R.J. Williams and freshman forward Josh Forney (St. Frances) are products of schools within the city limits.

Six more players played in high school within 50 miles of Loyola, as the crow flies (thanks daftlogic.com): Jarred Jones, John Carroll, 20.5; Tyler Hubbard, Montrose Christian, 32.6 miles; Robert Olson, Georgetown Prep, 33.9; Anthony Winbush, T.C. Williams, 43.7; and Erik Etherly, Annandale, 47.9.

What’s Next

Loyola makes its annual trip to the Buffalo area next week for a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference games at Canisius (January 31) and Niagara (February 2).